sorry i haven't posted in a while, been a tad busy! so christmas is coming up and there's so much to buy but so little money to buy with so i thought i'd do a post on how i save money when i need it most!

1. the cheaper option

by this is mean, if there's a similar item from two different shops and one is significantly cheaper, then buy that one.. it saves so much money just from sacrificing your ideal purchase for something a little less!

2. when you're feeling down

well i know that when i'm feeling down all i need is some materialistic to pick me back up again.. even just a new lipstick or pair of leggings.. it really does make you feel better but just try not to break to budget!

3. take out cash

when i go out shopping, i ideally take cash.. it means you can withdraw lets say £40 from your bank and you know you can't buy anymore than that unless you take more out! and it stops you putting silly purchases like a lipstick or something on your card.

4. buy in store

this is a bit of a hypocritical point considering i'm genuinely obsessed with internet shopping but unless it's free delivery and you can't find it anywhere else, just go to the store to buy it! post and packaging is a ridiculous amount these days and just not worth it really.. i recommend checking out the asos website as you can buy things without having to pay for p&p and it still arrives within a week.. bargain!

5. allowances

write down somewhere an allowance of how much you're going to spend on everything for the upcoming month (bear in mind this is probably very different to uni students!). for example, mine for december is:

so include how much you hope to spend on certain things like clothes, presents, bus fares, food, etc. i find it really handy.. and if you go over then you have to reduce the amount you can spend on something else.. simples

6. plan out presents

now christmas is coming up so you need to sort out how many people you're buying for, how much you're spending, are you doing a secret santa? if so then maybe sort out a bundle of prezzie's to give to them from maybe you and a friend or sibling? same with birthdays really, look through your calendar and see who you've gotta buy for? similarly to the crimbo idea, gather some friends and all pitch in a bit less but still buy your friend something which they'll love!

7. hide away your money

in summer when i had to start saving to go on holiday, i knew there'd be no other way that i could save my money other than selotaping a shoe box shut and then cutting out a small hole for me to post money through.. so i did.. and it worked! even just a small box or anything which you can put stuff in but not take out is a useful way of saving money.

8. start selling

recently i've taken to eBay to sell my unwanted clothes, too small/too big, or whatever the reason.. it's really easy when you have an account and paypal.. and in the nicer weather i like going to carboot sales to get rid of my bits and bobs!

9. the bare essentials

when you're not exactly rolling in it a good idea is to write down the exact things you need that month whether it's a new moisturizer or some new school shoes so you have almost like an aim for the month.. this stops you from spending willy nilly on random things.

10. income problems

if you don't have a job i understand how you feel.. but the best way to get out of that rut is to put up notices for cleaning or whatever.. and get your mum/dad/auntie/uncle/nan/cousin or whoever it is to spread the word about babysitting which is always a bonus of money.. getting to chill for a few hours for money.. perfect!

i'm so excited right now as Sabrina from dreaminspiredesire has just nominated me for the Liebster Blog Award and i honestly can't thank her enough! (thank you once again)

it's an award for new bloggers with less than 200 followers so it can promote their blog, and i love the idea of it! i'm always finding small blogs here and there which i love to read so i really like the opportunity this gives people :)

rules

1. post 11 random facts about yourself (shouldn't be too hard?)

2. answer the 11 questions which your nominator set for you

3. create 11 questions for who you choose to nominate

4. choose 11 blog to nominate with less than 200 followers

some random facts about me

1. i can never say no to a wagamamas - yaki soba for the win

2. i have to shut my bedroom door before i sleep

3. astronomy completely fascinates me.. i'm obsessed

4. i'm a really outgoing person and will try anything you throw at me

5. i've never had a burger at maccy d's

6. i have a secret collection of snapbacks

7. i absolutely hate coffee and salad

8. my wardrobe has to be ordered by colour

9. my favourite christmas song is fairytale of new york (getting festive)

10. i have the biggest phobia of birds you could ever imagine

answering Sabrina's questions

1. If you could be anywhere at this moment, where would it be?

at some sort of blogging event.. that's my aim.. i'd love to meet the blogging community

2. What word perfectly describes you?

well i've always been described as feisty - but in a good way.. so i suppose that!

3. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

so as you can tell from my haul yesterday i purchased a lipstick in the colour 'voodoo' which is described as 'spicy warm red creme' on the site.. i really like this colour and feel it's very autumnal but also wearable enough for all year round. it's definitely my go to lipstick from now on. it's really moisturizing and creamy and goes on so easily, i've worn it all day and it hasn't budged so pretty long lasting in my eyes. it doesn't crack either or smudge and the packaging is really secure which is a bonus. for only £1.50 i 100% recommend and i'd even say splash the extra 50p and get this rather than MUA even though i'm a big fan of their lippy's! there's so many colours to choose from and i've just bought a few others after being so impressed with this one! the only bad thing i can say really is that when you twist it so it's the smallest it can go the top still pops out the top if that makes sense? so already i've squashed the head of the lipstick which is really annoying but apart from that i can't fault it. 10/10 for sure and most definitely recommended!

so i'm back today with a small haul from ELF (Eyes Lips Face). i bought all this a few days ago when they had an offer on for free shipping for orders over £15. i did a post on this so you were warned! however i feel the need for saving at the moment is bigger than the need for spending so i only bought a few things and here they are!

Studio Makeup Mist & Set£3.75

Small Stipple Brush£3.75First Impressions: this brush is so soft and quite dense so i'll be looking forward to using it!

Powder Puffs£1.50First Impressions: bit disappointed as they're not as soft as i expected and there's no handle so it's hard to hold when you're applying powder.

Zit Zapper£1.50

Lipstick in Voodoo£1.50First Impressions: this is the first lipstick i've ever bought from ELF and from first application i can tell i'm gonna have to buy some more! really creamy and pigmented.. LOVE LOVE LOVE

i'm sure you would've realised by now but christmas is approaching quickly so i thought i'd do a festive post today on my top five favourite christmassy nail varnishes by topshop! as you can see they mainly comprise of silver and gold but that's just what i think of when i think about crimbo!

With this varnish it takes a few coats to completely cover your nail in glitter but it's well worth it as it barely chips. i also love using these glittery ones as a top coat over another bold colour, in this festive mood i'll most probably use red as the gold and red complement each other perfectly.

This is a really suitable colour for the whole of autumn and winter as it's one of those rich red colours which seem pretty timeless to me. The only problem with this particular one is it chips quite easily so you often need to reapply which can be annoying.

So i did a bad thing and spent a majority of my money in only the space of a week.. woops! and there's a few other things thrown in there which i get questions about a lot (the rings) so i hope this makes a change from my ootd's i've been doing recently!

1. Moto Borg Denim Biker Jacket

Topshop

£65

2. Moto Grey Supersoft Skinny Leigh Jeans

Topshop

£38

3. James Bond Top Trump Cards (crimbo present for bro)

Next

£5

4. Lipstick in Shade 1

MUA

£1

5. Simplex Cross Ring (R2292)

Silpada

£19

6. Poseidon Ring (R2753)

Silpada

£39

7. Black Chunky Ankle Strap Wedges

New Look

£19.99 (sale)

8. Blue Print Pattern Snapback (crimbo present for bro)

Topman

£3

9. Nail Varnish in Shade 1

MUA

£1

10. Nail Varnish in Shade 2

MUA

£1

14. VO5 Give Me Texture Dry Texturising Spray

Boots

£3.49

11. Paisley Lace Mesh Top Tunic

Topshop

£35

12. Supreme Shine Lipstick in Deep Secret

17 at Boots

£4.99

13. Bright Multicoloured Snapback (crimbo present for bro)

Topman

£3

15. Concealer in Medium

MUA

£1

16. Mesh Multi Row Necklace

Topshop

£16.50

so you can probably tell there won't be any hauls for a while now as i've gotta start saving for christmas! so tell me what you think of this haul in the comments and any suggestions for future purchases!

All opinions and views of any products are completely my own and always 100% honest, even if I have been sent a product by a company. Any products I have been sent will be marked with an asterisk (*), which includes PR samples and products bought with gift vouchers provided by PR. I don't get paid to post positive content about a product either and I will only post when I really love a product. Occasionally I will write promotional content on behalf of a company and these posts are clearly marked with a footnote saying *Sponsored Post*. I will also use #ad or #spon on any sponsored content on Instagram or Twitter.